Mission creep

The Carnegie Foundation noted that there had been a 17-percent increase in institutions that awarded more than 60 percent of their degrees in professional fields over the past five years, while there was a 5-percent drop in institutions that awarded more than 60 percent of their degrees in the liberal arts.

More two-year colleges were also offering four-year degrees, with growth since 2005 of 23 percent to 49 percent, depending on the type of institution. Mr. Ekman said that the increase in the number of institutions awarding of professional degrees and four-year degrees was also no surprise.

"A lot of bachelor's institutions are offering master's, and a small number of master's institutions are offering doctorates," he said. "There is an appetite for more education at higher levels, and that's not a bad thing."